EVOLUTION of gaming a retrogaming exhibition at CDM in Vancouver

I was invited by the Centre for Digital Media in Vancouver with the help of the French Cultural Institute to co-curate a retrogaming exhibition untitled Evolution of Gaming with Malcolm Levy, artist and curator, and Kimberly Voll, game designer and Professor at the CDM.

Here is a timelapse of 15 days of the exhibition, created by Josh Miller, the System manager of CDM!

The opening was on the 1st of August and will stay open till the 10th. The design of the exhibit is an original creation by Innes Yates from Bnode architecture studio. I’ll be in Vancouver from 15th of July till 15th of August. What is totally amazing is that during our retrogaming exhibition, Vancouver will also hosts The Full Indie Summit (9-10 August) as well as the Siggraph from 10 to 14.

We are speaking with Kim on Electric Playground!! Watch the video!

If you want to follow it online, please follow the PHOTO BLOG of the exhibition by Dan Flemming

And an other interview with Kim and me on Vancouver Project

A full month dedicated to the evolution of gaming and technology from the garage to the main industry in a great city with amazing people!

Here is our curatorial statement for Evolution of Gaming:

With Evolution of Gaming, we wish to celebrate the rich history of video games in an immersive, highly interactive tribute. Our goal in creating this annual event is to tell the story of the evolution of video games, exploring the amazing developments that have evolved through gameplay, technology, graphics, interface, music and even the player. Presented at the Centre for Digital Media in Vancouver, Canada, Evolution presents a world of pixels and polygons where ideas, interactivity and gameplay merge into an unforgettable experience that will take participants back one more time.

Here is the perspective on Evolution of gaming given by Douglas Alves, a french retrogaming historian:

The 2014 experience will focus on retro-gaming and its influence, moving forward. The exhibition itself not only takes on an archival approach to the games, but also creates experiences crafted around what it was like 30 years ago to interact with these games for the first time, and how they contributed to the contemporary gaming culture. Each installation will be designed to bring you back in time or, for the younger crowd, to help create a visceral experience that captures the excitement and thrill of playing these games for the first time. Around the exhibit, various rooms/lounges and displays will be used to create memorable atmospheres for each game.

Link interview with Malcolm and I!

In addition to playable versions of each game showcased, the displays themselves will be immersive experiences, capturing the elements of each game and how they contributed to the ecosystem of gaming at that time (and how they continue to influence games today). In creating this ambience, Evolution will contrast low-tech aesthetics of the early games and technologies with high-tech broadcasting devices (screen walls, interactive installations, mass projections and online devices) to help the public appreciate the trajectory of game culture over the last 40 years. The Full Indie Games Summit occurs concurrently with Evolution in 2014, providing an interesting link, as many of the original games were in fact independently made, and the connection of this tradition continues forward to today.

This exhibition is not only a collection of retro-games, but also a reflection on how they influenced the ecology of games, moving forward. The game reflects life, but offers a constructed reflection, which in turn influences our way to see and imagine the world around us. By starting with the retro, we see where the evolution of gaming comes from and, importantly, the hints that it leads into the predicted future we are now living in.

We also wish to acknowledge that this exhibit includes a partnership with French curator, Isabelle Arvers, to further take advantage of the many large-scale exhibitions and curatorial experiences around retro-gaming that have been happening in France, such as Museogames (Paris, 2010), Game Story (Paris, 2011) and soon the very large Video Game Story (Paris, 2014), as well as the European Collectors Association MO5 (http://www.mo5.com).

Press review

CDM Interview of Isabelle Arvers
Hackcircus Interview of Isabelle Arvers – Hack Circus
Play over 40 retrogames at the CDM – Straight.com
Lets visitors play games of the past – Straight.com
Event: Evolution of gaming – Gamescenes.org
Interview Isabelle Arvers – Radio Canada
Interview Isabelle Arvers – Vancouver Sun
Report on the exhibit – Vancitybuzz
Canadian Online Gamers
Van City Buzz
The Province
John Biehler: the Evolution of Gaming
Interview of Kim & Isabele by Vancouver project
Winess the Evolution of Gaming – Electric Playground
The Evolution of gaming – Console Archeology
Interview of Jeannette Kopak and Isabelle Arvers on CBC TV
Plug-in blog
Interview of Kim and Isabelle on JoyTV